Tuesday, November 25, 2008
WBRS Web Exclusives 11-25
Coach Simon
Men lose again. Hear our exclusive post game reaction!
Post Game Reaction
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Is it time to panic yet?
Men's basketball team drops second straight game to start the season; WPI tops Brandeis 78-64 Saturday night in Worcester
By Jeffrey Pickette
Probably safe to say this isn't the start to the season the men's basketball team's coaches and players envisioned.
WPI handed Brandeis its second loss in as many games. Where the Lasell game last Tuesday was contested right down to the final shot at the buzzer, WPI pulled ahead in this game last Saturday night early in the second half.
Brandeis jumped out of the gate with an 8-3 lead four minutes into the game, behind two three-pointers from rookie guard Tyrone Hughes '12. Unfortunately for the Judges, the five-point lead would represent the team's largest of the game.
WPI sophomore forward Ben Etten sank two free-throws midway through the first-half, giving WPI a 13-12 lead and the Engineers never looked back. WPI increased the lead to six by halftime, 34-28, and to as many as 17 points at five different occasions in the second-half, before winning by the final margin of 14 points.
Brandeis falls to 0-2 and faces a must-win game in its home opener Tuesday night against UMass Dartmouth (7:30pm, WBRS with the call on the radio). Meanwhile, WPI improves to 4-0.
Inside the numbers...
... Brandeis had just 10 assists, while turning the ball over 23 times. WPI had a much more even 10:15 (2:3 if you prefer simplified fractions) assist to turnover ratio.
... WPI entered the game shooting only 28 percent from three-point range (14-50), but hit 6 of 14 shots against Brandeis (42.9%). Brandeis allowed Lasell to convert 12 of 23 three-pointers, or 52.2 percent.
...WPI went to the free throw line 34 times, while Brandeis went to the line only 20 times.
... Forward Terrell Hollins '10 fouled out (5 personal fouls) after only 12 minutes of play. He has appeared in just 29 of 80 minutes of action for Brandeis so far this season.
... Forward Steve DeLuca (GRAD) led all scorers with 18 points. Hughes added 11, while guard Kevin Olson '09 chipped in 10 points. Rookie forward Vytas Kriskus '12 scored 8 points off the bench.
Lineup change...
... Hughes was in the starting lineup, with guard Kenny Small '10 coming off the bench. Keep an eye on whether this becomes a permanent move.
Postgame chatter...
Coach Meehan on team's performance
"Nobody's at their best right now, everybody's struggling. We're trying to find an identity, we're trying to figure out how best to play with each other and it's just not there yet."
Coach Meehan on play of Tyrone Hughes
"He gives us another ball handler to help [guard Andre Roberson '10] out. He's at least giving us a little bit of defense...he's played two good games, but he has a long way to go. He's not there yet, but at least he's showing signs of having a willingness to do what we're asking him to do."
Asst. Coach McKoy on why the team lost
"A lot of times we just left guys wide open so that they would hit [three-pointers]...We weren't talking or communicating as much as we needed to. We weren't doing what we needed to do on offense, which was pound the ball inside. We were breaking down plays and rushing shots too much."
Steve DeLuca on team's offensive struggles
"They were [WPI] spreading us out offensively. They're a very good defensive team...and they make it difficult on the offensive end for us."
Kevin Olson on the team's surprising 0-2 start
"It's pretty unimaginable, I didn't foresee this one happening."
Tyrone Hughes assessing the first two games
"I feel like we just have a few missing pieces of the puzzle, but as soon as we get it together we'll be [on track]."
Final thought...
... Let's give Steve DeLuca the honors of having the final word:
"We need a win on Tuesday [against UMass Dartmouth]. It's probably the season if we don't win."
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Lasell knocks Brandeis off cloud nine
Ninth-ranked men's basketball team upset in season opener
By Jeffrey Pickette
With ten and a half minutes left in the second half of the mens' basketball team's seasoning opening tilt at Lasell College Tuesday night, chants of "overrated" from the Lasell faithful filled the gymnasium.
Brandeis, ranked ninth in D3hoops preseason top 25 poll, had just called a timeout following a turnover from forward Steve DeLuca (GRAD) and trailed 54-47.
The Judges were able to cut into the deficit, but ultimately these same "overrated" chants reverberated as the final buzzer sounded. Lasell avenged its tournament loss to Brandeis in the opening round of last year's NCAA tournament, squeaking by the Judges 68-66 this time around.
With the upset, Brandeis falls to 0-1, while Lasell is 1-0.
Brandeis trailed 68-64 with 1:43 left to play when Lasell sophomore guard Corey Godfrey converted a layup. The Judges would play suffocating defense for the remainder of the game, but could not muster enough offense to tie the score or take a lead.
Rookie guard Tyrone Hughes '11 stole the ball from Lasell rookie guard Kevin Richard with 52 seconds left on the clock. Guard Andre Roberson '10 drew a foul on the ensuing offensive possession and sank both his free throws, closing the gap to 68-66.
On Lasell's next possession, Richard turned the ball over for the second time in a twenty second span, crossing the half-court line for a back-court violation, giving Brandeis the ball with 32 seconds left.
Brandeis maintained possession for the rest of the game, missing three potential game-tying shots in the process. The final shot came with 2.5 seconds left on the clock when guard Kevin Olson '09 found Roberson under the hoop for an uncontested layup attempt.
The ball would not fall in, however, and forward Terrell Hollins' 10 last-ditch effort to tip the ball in was for not, cementing the upset victory for Lasell.
The three-point shot was Lasell's offensive weapon de jour, accounting for 12 of 26 converted shots and 23 of 54 shot attempts. Meanwhile, Brandeis was 5 of 11 from beyond the arc.
Four Judges scored in double figures, led by preseason first-team D3hoops All-America selection DeLuca's 16 points. Brandeis shot only 37.9 percent for the game (22-58), including only 7 of 23 (30.4 percent) in the first half.
Odds and Ends...
... Rookie guard Tyrone Hughes had an impressive debut. While first-year players are bound to have their ups-and-downs, if the Lasell game is any indication of how Hughes will play this season, Brandeis has a solid one-two punch with Roberson and Hughes at the point guard position.
Hughes had 10 points, 4 rebounds, and 2 steals in 24 minutes of play. His aforementioned steal in the final minute of the second half kept Brandeis' hopes for victory alive.
Brandeis seemed to be most effective when Roberson and Hughes were on the court together. This lineup move is similar to when coach Brian Meehan paired guard Kwame Graves-Fulgham '08 with Roberson last season.
... The starting lineup consisted of Roberson, DeLuca, Olson, guard Kenny Small '10, and forward Christian Yemga '11. Hollins, who coaches plan to use off the bench this season, played only 17 minutes.
... Brandeis missed three out of four free throw attempts in a 55-second span between 6:47 and 5:52 left in the second half. Brandeis did not hit a field goal in the final two minutes of play.
... Olson was 4-4 behind the three point line, accounting for 12 of his 14 points.
Final Thought...
Whether or not Brandeis is "overrated," as Lasell fans suggest, will be left up to the folks at D3hoops.com to decide. But, Brandeis faces a near-must-win situation this Saturday at WPI. With a difficult non-conference schedule lying ahead, Brandeis cannot afford to start the season at 0-2.
Next Game...
Brandeis plays WPI on the road Saturday night at 6pm. WBRS will be courtside with the call, so be sure to tune in via radio or computer.
